Dimpna WIlde is a veterinarian, just like her father. She grew up in a charming town in Ireland called Dingle, and when she grew up, she left and didn’t come back. She had her reasons for that. And now she has reasons for heading back home. When things went bad in Dublin, she held on there as long as she could. But it wasn’t until she got the phone call that she had decided she finally, after well over twenty years, had to head back home to Dingle.
Johnny O’Reilly was dead.
Johnny had been the patriarch of the wealthy O’Reilly family. He had been found dead on the beach with Last Dance spelled out in rocks next to him and a tarot card, The Devil, in his pocket and medicine used to put down animals next to him on the pristine beach.
Detective Inspector Cormac O’Brien is new to the area, but as soon as he makes his way to the beach that is the final resting spot of Johnny O’Reilly, he knows that he is facing the case that could make or break his career. The local Garda don’t know him yet, don’t trust him, but he has to find a way to get them on his side. They know all the locals. They know the gossip. He can’t solve this without the rest of the force, but it will be an uphill battle to find the killer.
He can tell immediately that the scene was staged. But then they realize that there was a witness, a child, based on the size of the footprints, and find that a local 13-year-old girl has gone missing. Dimpna saw her on her way to town and knows where to look for her. It’s one of her dogs who tracks the girl, and Dimpna is the one who finds her in an abandoned building and brings her out to safety. But this one triumph for Dimpna doesn’t offset all the bad news she’s had since returning home.
It turns out that her father has been suffering from dementia, which has gotten worse, and his veterinary clinic has suffered. He is separated from her mother, who is a tarot card reader. And after all these years, Dimpna still feels responsible for the death of one of their finest race horses. It had gotten out of the barn and was hit by a trailer before it could run its first race. The horse was named Last Dance.
It’s clear to Dimpna that someone is trying to frame her family for the death of Johnny O’Reilly. Either she can trust the new DI Cormac to solve this one, or she can work it out for herself and keep her family out of prison.
No Strangers Here is the first in a new series by Carlene O’Connor. I’m a fan of her cozy mysteries, especially the Irish Village Mystery series, but this new series is quite different. These are more nuanced and atmospheric, with strong characters and a charming setting. But this is a darker story, more layered, with the motives of the killer reaching far back into the past and attacking the good people of Dingle on many levels.
As I said, I love O’Connor’s cozy mysteries, but I really enjoyed this one as well. I was pleased to see how well she made the switch from the lighter mysteries to this complex story of humanity and all of its worst and best qualities. No Strangers Here is beautifully written, with characters who feel genuine and a plot that flows with intelligence and integrity. O’Connor’s cozies are a light snack, an appetizer, a slice of cake. This book is a meal, and it should be savored by readers of dark thrillers and mysteries that slowly reveal those secrets that can lead to murder.
Egalleys for No Strangers Here were provided by Kensington Books through NetGalley, but they also sent me a physical ARC to review.
